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Francesca Martinez dismantles stereotypes and surpasses expectations with every set she performs. She refuses to let her “wobbliness” slow her down, and has embarked on 100-venue tours across the UK, sharing her comedy with millions of enchanted fans. From the Edinburgh Festival to the Melbourne Comedy Festival, she has travelled the world with her act, performing to audiences of all backgrounds – this reflects Francesca’s unrivalled talent. An event featuring Francesca challenges the audience’s perceptions, as she asks the same question posed to readers of her book, What The *** Is Normal?!.
A true star of the screen, Francesca has appeared in some of the UK’s biggest comedy shows, including Russell Howard’s Good News and Live at the Apollo. She approaches the taboo topic of disability with confidence, instantly putting audiences at ease by addressing the obvious – “I’m a wobbly woman!”. Born with cerebral palsy, her comedy sets normalise disability, increasing representation and in turn inclusion.
Starting her career in Grange Hill, the children’s drama series, Francesca later progressed to Holby City and Extras in 2005. Such early fame only adds to her influence, which she has harnessed to drive social justice. She has a particular passion for protecting disability benefits and care services, following her petition to end government cuts, which received over 100,000 signatures. Francesca regularly appears at charity fundraisers and social events, booked as either a comic or speaker to share her valuable experiences.
Francesca’s act is history-defining, as one of the most recognisable disabled comedians in the UK she continues to dismantle damaging stereotypes. Her influence has been recognised with several awards, including the Public Affairs Achiever of the Year Award and Britain’s Most Influential Women, as well as nominations for a Red Magazine’s Woman of the Year and European Diversity Hero of the Year Award. When booked for virtual corporate events and inclusion festivals, her sets serve to both entertain and enlighten audiences.
Francesca Martinez is regularly booked to engage audiences at virtual events, read their latest feedback below:
“When I was at Unilever, I organised an event around the theme of creative courage. All artists display varying degrees of courage, but Francesca walked on stage and changed the atmosphere. She made them more courageous from that moment. It was like a euphoria – it took them a while to come down.”
“We’ve never had a comedian speak at the conference before, I wanted to try something new. We’ve had such fantastic comments and feedback from not only the senior managers and Councillors but from the staff too. Francesca’s speech was inspirational, thought-provoking and absolutely hilarious and I cannot thank her enough, and it complimented the rest of the programme perfectly.”
“Francesca has a unique gift and it’s amazing to see the impact she has on her audience. They have not stopped talking about her and many have said how much she has changed their attitudes and inspired them to be happier people. She has had a profound effect and her message is both important and life-affirming.”
The Online Speakers Agency is a bureau specialising in virtual speakers. Founded in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have booked leading experts on diversity, finance, teamwork and more for online events hosted across the globe.
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